The Tom Woods Show

Nothing is less fashionable than defending the South from attack. Responses like "why, you must support slavery," or "you're a racist," sum up the intellectual level you can expect from your critics, none of whom have read a thing. Historian Brion McClanahan returns to discuss the bizarre if predictable South hatred that emerged following George Floyd's death at the hands of police in Minneapolis. Show notes for Ep. 1674

Professor Gad Saad joins me to discuss trends in academia, whether leftist domination occurs because they're just smarter than we are, and why CEOs feel compelled to endorse every fashionable cause. Sponsor: Blinkist Show notes for Ep. 1673

Pete Quinones joins me to discuss his new documentary on the state and how we might think about life without it. Show notes for Ep. 1672

Vijay Boyapati joins me for a crash course in Bitcoin: why it matters (to the world and to you), what it accomplishes, where it's headed, and why he thinks it's actually superior to gold. Show notes for Ep. 1671

Spike Cohen, the Libertarian Party's vice presidential nominee, joins me to discuss radicalism and gradualism, his days as a neoconservative, entrepreneurial background, his libertarian transformation, how to campaign during a pandemic, and plenty more. Show notes for Ep. 1670

I'm being told to celebrate because the left has brought the phrase "defund the police" into the national spotlight. I'll get excited when I can figure out what on Earth they mean by it. Show notes for Ep. 1669

Kris Borer joins me to discuss the foundations of and the most persuasive case for anarcho-capitalism -- that is, a pure free market without a state of any kind. Show notes for Ep. 1668

Dave Smith, comedian and host of Part of the Problem, joins me to discuss the George Floyd protests, the riots, and the (mostly depressing) libertarian response. Show notes for Ep. 1667

Matt Ridley joins us for a discussion of innovation and how and where it flourishes, along with specific examples ranging from the mundane lightbulb to the personal computer. (I ask Matt why inventors' names are all over 19th-century history, but nobody knows who invented the personal computer -- hence the title of this episode.) Sponsor: Skillshare Show notes for Ep. 1666

Dan McCarthy, editor of the venerable Modern Age, joins me for a discussion of the riots and what they could mean for America's political future. Show notes for Ep. 1665

Musician and libertarian content creator Eric July joins me to discuss police brutality, real solutions, and people making excuses for rioters and looters. Sponsor: Sanebox Show notes for Ep. 1664

Dr. Jo Jorgensen joins me today to discuss her campaign for president, her background, the main issues she intends to focus on, her experiences with Harry Browne (with whom Dr. Jorgensen was vice presidential nominee), and a lot more. Sponsor: Policy Genius Show notes for Ep. 1663

Ten years ago next month I released my book Nullification, a combination history and strategy book for restraining federal power. The ideas in that book are strictly forbidden -- the official conservative and libertarian movements pretend they don't exist (the Heritage Foundation would die a thousand deaths before entertaining an unapproved thought like nullification). But the history is accurate and the arguments are sound, as I explain in this episode. Show notes for Ep. 1662

Today I look a bit deeper into the results of the lockdowns, which are being credited with having saved "millions" of lives. Show notes for Ep. 1661

Gene Epstein joins us for a much-needed bit of optimism, particularly regarding the economy, as we look toward post-virus America. Show notes for Ep. 1660

The online portion, anyway. Washington delegate Miguel Duque joins me to discuss the party's presidential nominee, where the Mises Caucus stands right now, and what comes next. Show notes for Ep. 1659

Michael Rectenwald, retired professor at New York University, was a lifelong Marxist until very recently. He's now repudiated that past and embraced a Misesian future. His new book, Beyond Woke, explores every aspect of so-called "woke" culture and dismantles it mercilessly as only someone intimately familiar with leftism can. Show notes for Ep. 1658

Carla Gericke, president emeritus of the Free State Project, joins me to discuss PorcFest -- it's still on this year! -- and other goings-on among New Hampshire libertarians. Guest's Website: carla4nhsenate.com Show notes for Ep. 1657

Michael Heise of the Mises Caucus of the Libertarian Party joins me to discuss some developments at the party's highest levels that have even people who haven't been our traditional allies crying foul. Sponsor: Policy Genius Show notes for Ep. 1656

It's been quite remarkable to me the extent to which the lockdowns have divided people along ideological lines. A left-wing case against lockdown seems so easy to make and so obvious, and yet a vanishingly small number of people are making it. Thaddeus Russell, an eclectic and always interesting thinker who grew up on the left, joins me to try to get to the bottom of it. Sponsor: Harry's Show notes for Ep. 1655